Conspiracy Theory
by Arikae
Summary: Episode tag to Conspiracy Theory: Colby didn't get away from the explosion fast enough and now his whole world could change.


**Author's note: So this is a bit of weird one. It's an episode tag for Conspiracy Theory and the injury I gave Colby put him out of commission for the entire case. Therefore, aside from the beginning, everything else happened outside of the case they were investigating. If you haven't watched the episode, this probably won't make sense. If you do remember the episode, just picture it without Colby being apart of the investigation :D I hope you all like it. It took me a while to get this one out. As soon as I put Colby out of commission I got stumped so I had to let it sit for a week or so.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.**

 **Warning: Un-betaed**

Conspiracy Theory

Colby was the last one out of the building. Don was waiting for him to clear the blast area but he wasn't fast enough. He lifted his arm and ducked to protect his face from the blast but he still saw Colby get picked up by the blast and thrown ten feet away.

Colby was knocked unconscious by the blast. He didn't feel himself impact with the concrete pavement and he didn't feel himself roll another five feet from where he landed. He didn't hear his boss and partner call out in panic as they watched him fly across the pavement.

"COLBY!" Don called as he rushed to the fallen agents side with David on his heels.

Colby had stopped on his side. David saw the blood caked in the back of his hair. "Colby." He gasped. Don and David didn't dare to move him. "MEDIC! We need a medic over here now!" There were ambulances on sight already, taking care of GEO members. Two ran over to them with a stretcher.

"Stand aside, Sirs." One of them asked gently. "Get a neck brace and a back brace on him." The paramedics worked efficiently, getting Colby ready for transport. "His vitals are steady." David let out an audible sigh of relief. "Let's get him loaded and…wait…" The paramedic stopped. "He's waking up." By this time they had him strapped to the backboard.

David almost knocked the paramedic aside trying to get to his partner. "Colby." He moved himself right over Colby's line of sight. "Hey, buddy."

Colby groaned and squinted at him. "David?"

"Yeah, who else would it be?"

Colby blinked his eye a few times when David refused to come into focus. Everything was blurry. "What's wrong with my eyes?" He asked, not aware enough for the vision impairment to send him into a panic, but enough to know it wasn't right.

David looked over at Don who looked just as concerned as he was. "How do you mean, Colby?"

Colby closed his eyes. He had a splitting headache and the light was hurting his eyes. "You're blurry."

Don looked at the paramedics. "We'll know more after we get him to the hospital." He nodded, knowing they were limited with what they could do on-site.

David was hesitant to let his partner go without him but the team and this case needed him here. He gave Colby's shoulder and squeeze. "We'll see you later, okay?"

Don handed the lead paramedic his card. "Get his doctor to call us as soon as he or she knows anything."

"Let's go!" The paramedics pocketed the card before lifting Colby onto a gurney and pushing him into the back of their ambulance.

Don watched the ambulance leave before diving back into the case. "We need to know everything about every member of the GEO. The person or people who did this wanted them and the FBI." They walked to the FBI van; both men distracted by thoughts of their injured teammate.

* * *

Colby laid on the gurney in the E.R while nurses and Dr Abermann assessed his injuries. The doctor shone a bright light in his eyes intensifying his headache. They've already checked him for broken bones as well as cleaned away the blood at the back of his head. "You have a concussion. The cut in the back of your head is going to need stitches. You have four cracked ribs and two bruised ones. I'm concerned about your vision." Colby closed his eyes; _so am I._ His eye didn't get any better or worse and he had to fight the urge to rub away the blurry vision. "There are no damages to the eyes so it most likely has to do with your head injury. We'll know more as soon as we get a CT scan." He turned to the nurse. "Take him to level 3 for the scan and page me as soon as he's done." Dr Abermann turned back to Colby, "Agent Granger, I'll see you in about an hour."

"Thanks, Doc." Colby tried to focus on the man standing next to him but it was just a big, blurry image. It was frustrating to say the least. There was a bomber out there and he was stuck in here with a head injury among other things. The nurse left him to call for an orderly giving him time to make a call to Don to see how things were going. Grimacing, he felt around his pockets and found his phone. Amazingly enough it wasn't damaged by the blast. He squinted at the screen and brought it up close to his face. The image remained out of focus. It wasn't a problem; he had his boss and David on speed dial. David's phone barely rang before he picked up.

" _Colby! What's the doctor say?"_ Colby smiled at the concern in his partner's voice.

"I need to get a CT scan. How's the case?"

* * *

Don and David were on their way to the office of a man on the video they saw before the second bombs were set off. He was just as relieved as David when Colby's call came through. David put his phone on speaker so that Don could hear Colby as well.

" _I need to get a CT scan. How's the case?"_

Don rolled his eyes at the short answer. "What are your injuries, Colby?"

They heard Colby sigh as he listed his injuries. _"Four cracked and two bruised ribs. I have a cut at the back of my head and a concussion."_

"Your vision improve any?" David asked, noticing the lack of mention of that.

" _No. That's what the CT scan is for? Doc says there are no damage to my eyes so it's got to do with the knock to my head."_

Don heard the fear in Colby's voice. FBI's didn't have much use for a blind field agent. "Hey, don't worry about it. It'll clear up." He tried to reassure his friend.

* * *

Colby smiled at Don's tone. He tended to use it when he was concerned himself but didn't want anyone else worrying. "I'm fine, Don. How's the case going?"

" _We're picking up Roy McGill. He's been a person of interest with the DOJ. He sounds like a nut job."_

"Be careful. Looks like the bomber has it in for the FBI as well." Colby worried.

* * *

Don and David smiled. Even a blow to the head doesn't stop Colby's investigative mind from working. "Leave the case to us. You just rest." David ordered. "We gotta go. Behave for the doctor." He ordered before hanging up.

Don wore an amused smile. "Behave for the doctor?"

David shrugged, "It's Colby. The guy is a doctor's worse nightmare."

Don chuckled. He couldn't argue.

* * *

Colby's headache was steadily worsening as he waited for his doctor to return with his results. He was still in his street clothes. There was no way he was getting into a hospital gown unless they insisted on admitting him. Sore ribs and a concussion wasn't anything to be hospitalised for…not in his book anyway. He kept his eyes closed the entire time he'd been waiting. The blurriness only exacerbated the headache and it was frustrating. He didn't know he had fallen asleep until the doctor shook him awake.

"Agent Granger?"

Colby took a deep breath as his eyes flew open. "What?" The doctor kept a firm hand on Colby's shoulder, keeping him calm. He groaned when he realised he still couldn't see and his rib didn't take kindly to the sudden jolt.

"It's just me, Agent Granger, Dr Abermann."

Colby nodded, relaxing again. "Sorry, Doc."

"I've got your scans back." Colby couldn't tell if the doctor's tone was good or not. "It seems the blast cause contusions in your occipital lobe and that's what's causing your vision loss."

"Will it clear eventually?"

"I am optimistic that your vision will return as your brain heals itself." The doctor sounded hesitant. "As for how long it will take, I can't tell you that."

Colby frowned, "So this could take a year?" He didn't like not having a time frame.

"I'm sorry, Agent Granger."

Colby sighed and shook his head. "Not your fault. Teach me to stand near an exploding building." He said under his breath. Dr Abermann smiled, amused. "If there's nothing you can do, can I leave?"

Dr Abermann wasn't sure if he should allow the agent to go home. "I would prefer to monitor you for a night, in case of any complications."

" _Prefer_ meaning I don't have to." Colby gingerly made his way off the bed. "If you can guide me to the reception I can sign my own discharge papers and get out of here. I'll sign an AMA if you need me to."

"Agent Granger, I don't recommend you leaving the hospital on your own."

Colby groaned, "Doctor, no offense but I'm not in the mood to argue with you. I'm leaving whether you recommend it or not."

The doctor nodded, "Is there anyone I can call to pick you up?"

"No, my family is in Idaho and my colleagues are on a case. I can get a cab. Just get me signed out." Colby was almost begging now.

"Okay, wait here and I'll bring the papers for you to sign. You will have to sign an AMA. I can't in good conscience let you leave the hospital without any supervision." He shook his head at the stubborn agent. As soon as he left the room, he pulled out a card the paramedics had given him.

* * *

Don pulled out his phone and saw a missed call from an unknown number. He was in the interrogation room trying to get something out of Roy McGill. The amount of conspiracy theories this guy had could fill ten phone books. He returned the number.

" _Dr Abermann."_

 _Doctor? Colby!_ "Doctor, it's Don Eppes here, Colby Granger's supervisor."

" _Agent Eppes, thank you for calling back but I'm afraid Agent Granger has already signed himself out."_

"He what?"

" _I couldn't get a hold of you and Agent Granger was adamant that he leave the hospital."_

"How long ago was this?" Don was already on his way out of the office.

" _Just two minutes ago."_

"Thanks, doc." He was tempted to go over there and shoot Colby in the leg just to keep him in the hospital.

* * *

Don put on the siren to ensure he got to the hospital entrance before Colby could get into a cab. He was there just in time. Don frowned as Colby felt his way to the door of the cab. "Still can't see." He whispered to himself before jumping out of the car. "Colby!"

Colby jumped at the sound of his boss's voice. "Ah crap." He turned in the general direction of the voice. "Go back to the case, Don."

Don took him by the arm and leaned down to talk to the cab driver. "Sorry, he won't need the ride." He closed the door and led Colby to his car. "Of all the stunts you've pulled, this is up there with jumping on a moving pick-up."

"Ah…Don, I can take care of myself." Colby groaned.

Don opened the door to the passenger side of his car and helped Colby in. He put a hand Colby's head, making sure he doesn't cause any more injuries to it. His finger brushed against one of the stitches along the back of his head. "How's the head?"

"Throbbing now that you're here." Colby wasn't in the mood to be babysat.

Don grinned, Colby was always less tactical with his words when he was injured or sick, "So it must've been a migraine before."

"Whatever makes you happy, Don." Colby squinted out the windscreen. It was like trying to look through a window while it was pouring.

Don got in and started off, "Where were you planning to go?" He had an idea.

"The office."

Don shook his head, "You have a concussion and cracked ribs. I'm taking you to my dad's. He'll watch you until…"

"Take me there and I'll just sneak back out. Just because I can't see well, doesn't mean I can't get past Mr Eppes." Colby warned, "You want me to stay put somewhere? Take me to the office. I'll end up there eventually, it just depends on whether I do it on my own or not." Colby shrugged, "I'm not fussed either way."

Don was glaring out the windscreen as he drove, "You must've given your mom a migraine when you were a kid."

"Still do sometimes."

"What are you going to do at the office?" Don asked, annoyed.

Colby turned to Don with his unfocused eyes. "What am I going to do at home or with your dad? Your dad can only tell so many stories to distract me from my…" Colby frowned, "condition." He finished off quietly.

Don exhaled, "What did the doctor say?"

"That I bruise a part of my brain that controls my vision. He thinks it'll eventually return but he has no idea when." Colby closed his eyes, having enough of the fog. "I feel like I'm looking through frosted glass. I hate it."

Don frowned at Colby's defeated look. "Hey, a bruise to the brain is the same as a concussion, right?" Colby didn't answer. "We've all had mild concussions before, you'll get your vision. I'm sure of it."

Colby gave a small smile but kept his eyes closed. "I wish the doctor was as confident as you."

"Nah…don't listen to him."

Colby chuckled, "Sure, Dr Eppes."

* * *

Colby held onto Don's elbow as they walked into the office. He tried to make out the images around him but he couldn't identify the people who weren't at their desks. "FBI Agents really do all look the same." He mumbled to himself.

Don grinned, glad Colby's humour was still in tact. He reached Colby's desk and let his agent feel his way into the seat. "Do you want anything? Water?"

Colby smiled, "Go do what you have to do. I've been here for over 3 years. I can get to the break room on my own."

"Alright." Don nodded, "Just don't do anything…you'd usually do." He hesitated before heading back to talk to McGill some more.

Colby turned to his computer and tapped at his keyboard. He moved closer to the screen but nothing came into focus. He stopped tapping when he realised he could be doing something that couldn't be repaired, like deleting a report. He felt around to see if there was anything he could do that didn't require his sight.

* * *

David returned from tossing Roy McGill's house. That man had files on so many conspiracy theories it was crazy. He smiled as he neared his desk to find Colby sitting there looking bored. "What are you doing here?" Colby jumped at the voice. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." David took a good look at his partner. The little jolt obviously caused some pain. He didn't like Colby's unfocused eyes. "Shouldn't you be in the hospital?"

"Nothing they can do. Have you got anymore leads?"

"Not yet. Hopefully all these conspiracy theories of Roy's come up with something more than who assassinated JFK." David handed a file to Colby. "You want to help…" He let the sentence drift off when he realised what he had just done. "Ah…sorry, brother, I wasn't…"

"It's okay, David." Colby gave him a crooked smile; "It'll be nice if you read them out loud. There's not much I can do here."

"Sure." David sat down and opened the first file.

* * *

Don came out the interrogation room to find Colby and David laughing at something. He walked up close enough to eavesdrop but not interrupt. He didn't want to stop any conversation that was making Colby laugh and take his mind of his sight. He smiled when he realised what they were talking about.

David was reading McGill's conspiracy theories. "Remind me not to get on McGill's bad side. George Bush is a Soviet spy." He threw each file on a pile on his desk after he read them. "Lincoln planned his own assassination because he was gay. I didn't know Jim Morrison and Marilyn Monroe were living on an island in the Caribbean."

"We should think about taking a visit." Colby chuckled.

"This guy has everything here but the Kennedy conspiracy."

"Pff…even a nut knows by now that Oswald acted alone." Colby rolled his eyes.

David looked at him, incredulously. "What, three shots in 4? 8 seconds with a bolt action whose scope wasn't properly aligned? Come on!"

"He was U.S. military trained." Colby argued simply.

"Ballistics proved that the first shot came from the front. Then there's the whole paraffin test."

"Which is unreliable at best." Colby scoffed.

"Three hobos were arrested right after the shooting, all clean-shaven with new shoes."

Don grinned as the discussion started heating up. He walked up to them. "David.." He figured he should stop the debate before it became an argument. "I'm letting McGill go. Tail him and see where he leads you." Colby sat up. Don immediately stopped whatever was going to come out of his mouth. "Don't even think about it. I can still cuff you in an interrogation room if you give me trouble." Colby growled but didn't say a word, knowing the threat wasn't an empty one. David hesitated, not wanting to leave his partner. "Take Liz with you. I'll keep an eye on him. Don't worry."

"I'm right here!" Colby glared at the blurry figure he knew was Don.

David laughed, "Try not to give Don any trouble." He gave Colby's shoulder a squeeze before leaving.

Colby huffed. He was enjoying the conspiracy theories and now that entertainment was gone, he had nothing to keep his mind busy. "I need a coffee." He got up to get it and could sense Don ready to help him. "I'm fine." His tone was sharper than intended as he stepped back from Don. "I can get there myself." Colby softened his tone. It wasn't fair to take out this frustration on his boss, not to mention stupid.

Don stepped aside, allowing Colby to pass him. He sighed as he watched Colby gingerly walk down the aisle, wrapping an arm around his middle to protect his ribs. To anyone else in the office, it wasn't noticeable that Colby was visually impaired; not by the way he walked anyway. He could still see obstacles in front of him. He wasn't hitting any furniture but Don's known him long enough to know he was walking hesitantly and every now and then his hand would reach towards a table or chair; signs that Colby was disoriented by his condition. Just as Colby reached the break room, Don remembered something.

Don reached the room in time to stop Colby from burning himself with the coffee. "Careful, buddy." He spoke gently, so not to startled his friend.

Colby gripped the jug of coffee tighter. The truth was he was a little nervous. He couldn't see his cup or the jug clearly and it made it hard for him to pour it without spilling. At the sound of his boss's voice, he moved to put the jug back down but placed it on the edge of the bench. Don jumped in, quickly pulling Colby out of the way as the jug smashed to the ground.

Colby hissed at the sudden move, his cracked ribs protesting. However, he ignored it in favour of voice his frustrations instead. "Damn it!" He crushed the paper cup he was holding and threw it.

"Come on." Don kept his voice calm as he moved Colby away from the spill towards the tables. "I'll get someone to clean it up. You shouldn't be having any caffeine with a concussion anyway."

"Yeah, well, no one can have any caffeine now."

"You do know we have more than one coffee maker, right? I know you can't see, but you do remember?"

The corner of Colby's mouth tugged a little at Don's attempt at lightening his mood. "Yeah, I know."

Don smiled, relieved Colby still had a sense of humour. "I'll make you a decaf."

Colby wrinkled his nose at the suggestion. "I'll rather drink mud."

"Oh…" Don looked around. "I'm sure I can find a pot plant somewhere."

Colby groaned at Don's attempt at a joke. "Ha ha…you should become a comedian."

Don grinned before getting serious. "Look, I know this is hard for you but I can't have you walking around the office in your condition."

"I'm…"

"I'm not talking about your eyes." Don interrupted him, knowing that was all Colby was focusing on. "You have other injuries. I'm happy to have you here but I need you to rest and heal."

Colby knew Don was right. Everyone here had a job to do. They couldn't do it if they were worried about him. He sighed, "Fine, I'll go sleep on the couch in the waiting room."

Don nodded in relief, "Did the doctor give you any meds?"

Colby shook his head, "He prescribed Tylenol."

Don grabbed a box of Tylenol from the top cabinets and popped two out, then grabbed a bottle of water. "Here." He put the bottle of water on the table and took Colby's hand, dropping the two capsules into his palm. Don opened the bottle of water and gave it to Colby after he tossed the medicine in his mouth. "Now go and rest. Don't worry about the case. We've got it covered."

"Sure."

"And don't worry about your eye-sight. It'll come back to you." Don promised even though there was no way for knowing if Colby's eyesight would return.

"Thanks, Don." Colby made his way through the fog to the waiting room. He didn't realised how tired he was until he laid down on the couch and closed his eyes.

Don waited all of five minutes before checking on Colby. He was happy to see that he was indeed asleep. Life would be so much easier if Colby would just do what the doctors asked.

* * *

 **Hours later (case is solved):**

David and Don entered the room Colby was sleeping in. They've solved the case and now it was time to take care of their own. After all the leads they chased, in the end it was Hanson, a member of the GEO, trying to take down his own building because he wanted to make more money. It took all of David's restraint not to punch the man out when he and Don went to arrest him. David looked down at his sleeping partner. "Colby's career could be over because Hanson wanted to make more money than he already has." David whispered harshly to his boss.

"Don't count Colby out yet. We've seen him bounce back from worse." Don gave David a slap on the back before kneeling down next to the couch. He gently shook Colby's shoulder, smiling when an irritated frown appeared. "Come on, Colb, it's time to go home."

Colby slowly woke from his sleep. He was exhausted and would've happily slept on if the annoying shaking stopped. He looked around room, and then rubbed his eyes to get rid of the fog. He groaned when he remembered the fog had nothing to do with his eyes. "Damn it." He cursed quietly.

"It hasn't even been a day yet, Colby. Give it time." David watched in sympathy as Colby rubbed at his eyes. Don helped Colby sit up.

"How's the headache?"

Colby scoffed, "Blinding."

Don smirked, "You're funnier when you're injured. Ready to go home?"

Colby squinted at his boss, who was still kneeling in front of him. "That depends on who's home you're talking about. If it's mine, then yes. Anyone else's, I think I'll stay right here."

David laughed in disbelief, "It's funny how you think you have a choice."

Colby groaned, letting Don help him to his feet. "Did you solve the case?" He asked, hoping to get his mind off his injuries.

"Yeah, it was Hanson." Don and David flanked him on either side as they made their way out of the office.

"Hanson tried to blow himself up?" Colby frowned. The last he remembered of the case, Roy McGill was their main suspect.

"No. He wanted to blow up his building because its heritage listed." David told him as they reached the lift. He held the door open while Don lead him in. "The current building isn't making any money for him."

"So this has nothing to do with conspiracy theories. It's just plain greed." Colby shook his head. "He killed two emergency workers in that second explosion."

"Yeah and now he's paying for it." David told him, wanting him to focus on the justice that will be served. The lift door opened to the FBI garage. "I'll take him home with me."

"I'm not a dog." Colby complained making his teammates laugh.

"Are you sure? He's not easy to deal with."

"Hey, I'm right here…" Colby's words faded as his head started spinning. He closed his eyes as he tried to get his bearings.

"Colby?" Don and David steadied him. "Colby." David worried; his friend kept his eyes closed.

"Colb, talk to us." Don gave his shoulder squeeze.

"I…" A pounding at the back of his head quickened its pace until it felt like a jackhammer. "My…" He gasped as a sharp pain lanced through his head. "Aaaahhh…" Colby dropped to his knees, cradling his head in his hands.

"We're taking you to the hospital." Don wrapped his arm around Colby's back and pulled his arm over his shoulder. David ran ahead to open the car door. "He's shaking." Don said of the violent tremors. "Get in with him, I'll drive."

* * *

Colby wanted someone to cut his head off. The pain was so intense it drowned out all the sounds around him leaving only a pulsing in his ears.

David watched helplessly as he partner leaned forwards, burying his head in his arms. "Come here." He pulled Colby to his chest, hugging him as tight as he could. "I know it hurts. Listen to me." David spoke calmly. "Listen to my voice."

Colby could feel the vibrations of David's voice through this chest. He concentrated on it, trying to stop the pain from drowning it out.

"Why don't you tell me why you're so sure Oswald worked alone?"

Colby frowned. What was David talking about? He could barely make out the words.

"Come on, Colby. What do you know about the JFK assassination that I don't? I mean, I know I'm right but I want to hear what you have to say about it." Don smiled as he listened to David try to stir up Colby.

Colby finally managed to make out the words. David thinks his right about the Kennedy assassination. "The rifle…Oswald used had…iron sights. He didn't…need a scope."

David huffed in relief at hearing Colby's voice. Now all he had to do was keep him talking. "J. Edgar Hoover, prior to the assassination, warned there were two Oswalds out there, based on files discovered by the FBI."

Colby frowned. He knew there was an argument for that. He read it somewhere. "Analysts…" he remembered now, "later proved that it was the…same handwriting, equalling…one guy." Colby pushed himself up, not wanting to debate with his partner without looking at him, or at least face him.

David was proud to see Colby fighting back the pain, though it did make him wonder how invested he was in his theory of the assassination. "Howard Hunt's deathbed confession," David continued, "He said that Kennedy was having an affair with the wife of a CIA agent…"

"Named Cord Meyer," Colby interrupted, "…who divorced his wife…in '58, and the affair started in '62. What else you…got?"

Don smirked at the smugness in Colby's tone, but it faded when Colby groaned and buried his head again. Fortunately, they arrived at the hospital. "We're here!" Don pulled up to the entrance of the emergency ward and ran in. "We need a doctor now!"

David jumped out of the car and pulled Colby out, who was next to unresponsive. A gurney was pushed out to meet him at he door. "Get him on." David released his hold on Colby to the two orderlies. "What happened?" The ER doctor asked.

"He caught in an explosion this morning. Dr Abermann was his physician." Don told the doctor.

"Okay, come with us. What's his name?"

"Colby Granger."

The doctor turned to a nurse. "Page Dr Abermann and tell him we have his patient down here." They rolled him into a bay where the doctor opened Colby's eyes and shone a light in them. "He definitely has a concussion."

"He also has four cracked ribs and two bruised ones. Dr Abermann mentioned something about him bruising a part of his brain that controls his vision." Don tried to remember everything he was told.

"Occipital lobe?"

"Yeah, that."

"Does he have problems with his vision?" The doctor asked.

"Yeah, everything's blurry." Don answered.

"And what happened just now?"

Don looked at David who shrugged, "He got dizzy and then he just grabbed his head…could barely talk to tell us what was wrong? We managed to get him talking in the car but once we arrived, the headache started again and now he's…" David gestured to Colby, who was only semi-conscious.

"Okay." The doctor turned Colby's head towards him. "Colby, can you hear me?" Colby's response was a groan. "Colby, my name is Dr Jacob Flack. If you can hear me, can you open your eyes?"

"Come on, Colb." Don begged.

Finally, after a couple of minutes, Colby managed to opened his eyes but they could tell it hurt him to keep them open. He groaned and closed them again, tight. "Okay, that's fine. Can you tell me how badly your head hurts? 1 being no pain and 10 being intense."

Colby swallowed, "10." He managed to gasp.

Dr Flack looked at Don and David. "If he says ten, it probably means more like a 15. He has a high pain threshold." Don told him. He knew that from watching the torture video Mason Lancer made of him on the Chinese freighter.

"Good to know." Dr Flack's seen all types of patients. Some would give a needle prick a ten so it was always good to get an idea of a patient's pain threshold from someone they knew. "I'm going to give him a mild sedative to help him sleep and relieve the pain for now. I'm also going to order an MRI. I will talk to Dr Abermann and get him up to date with Colby's condition."

"Can we stay with him?" David asked.

Dr Flack nodded, "Of course."

* * *

 **Two hours later…**

Colby woke up and found that he couldn't open his eyes. _What the hell?_ He couldn't see at all now. He bolted up in the bed, gasping and falling back when his broken ribs complained. He groaned, wrapping an arm around his middle.

"Colby." Don and David have been waiting for their friend to wake up. They didn't expect him to jolt awake the way he did, although the should've known the bandage around his eyes would cause some panic. "Colby, it's okay." David put a hand on his shoulder only to make him flinch. "Hey." He spoke gently, trying to put his hand on Colby's shoulder again.

"What happened?" Colby grunted as the pain faded a little. His hand came up to touch the bandage around his eyes. "Did it get worse?"

"No." Don quickly answered, sitting himself on the side of Colby's bed. "Dr Abermann said you've been putting too much strain on your eyes. It's what caused the headache. The bandage is just to stop you from using them until your next visit with the doc."

Colby sighed. "Guess it's better than thinking my eyes are going to clear every time I blink."

"How's the headache?"

Colby nodded, "Better." He said, pleasantly surprised his head was no longer trying to kill him.

Don smiled, "See what a little sleep will do you?"

Colby groaned, "I did sleep. You two woke me up, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." Colby could hear that Don wasn't happy with him. "I called Liz to let her know you're in the hospital and she started apologising for letting you sit with her while she worked."

"Oh…" Colby should've known Liz couldn't keep anything from Don. "But I was asleep before then and I was asleep when you woke me up."

"Yeah, all up you slept for about one hour." David accused.

"I…" Colby gave up. He knew they were right. "Fine, I wasn't asleep."

Don stifled his laugh, "The first step is admitting you have a problem."

"Shut up, Don." Colby groaned, his injuries making him forget Don was his boss as well as his friend. It's a good thing Don never got offended when his agents got like this; he was used to it. "Now what?"

David smiled, "Now we take you home and make sure you behave."

"Who's home?"

"My home." Charlie said from the door. Don had called him from the hospital and told him about Colby's situation. He knew what Don wanted to asked him and he was always happy to help. Don's team was like a family to him.

"Hey, you didn't have to come by, I would've dropped him off." Don gestured for his brother to come in.

Charlie shrugged, "I was still at CalSci when you called. This is on the way. How are you doing, Colby?"

"Crap." Colby answered bluntly.

Charlie frowned, confused and concerned, "ooo…kay?"

David shook his head, waving away Charlie's concern, "Ignore him. He's just cranky because he can't go home."

"Can we just go? I can feel another headache coming on." Colby growled, still not happy about the situation he's in. David helped him up and sat him down into a wheelchair. "I can walk."

"Yeah, well, it's late and we don't have time for your independent ass to find it's way to the car." David could be just as cranky as Colby when he wanted to.

Charlie was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to have Colby stay with him. He definitely didn't seem too happy about it. He stepped aside for David to wheel a brooding Colby out of the room. Don smiled at him, patting Charlie on the back as they walked out together. "Don't take it personally. He just found out he'll be completely blind for two weeks, at least. He'll probably apologise before you even start your engine."

Charlie chuckled, "I'm sure you're right and I'm not sure I would be behaving any better if I was in his shoes."

* * *

David got Colby into the passenger seat of Charlie's car. "Behave."

"You know, David, you're starting to sound like my mom." Colby complained, "or my first grade teacher."

"Maybe if you stopped acting like you were in first grade..." David left the sentence hanging.

"You walked right into that one, Colb." Don laughed.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead and make fun of a blind, injured man." Colby sulked. "With friends like you…"

Don shook his head at how childish Colby was acting. "Are you okay with him?" He asked his brother through the driver's side window.

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Charlie assured Don.

"I'll drop by in the morning before work." Don promised. "Don't think too much, Colby. You'll be fine."

"Yeah." Colby nodded, not in the mood to counter the comment.

David gripped his shoulder; "Everything will be back to normal in two weeks."

Colby had to smile at the determination in his partner's voice. He reached over to pat the hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, partner."

Charlie reached to start the ignition as soon as his brother and David left. "I'm sorry about earlier." Colby apologised, making Charlie laugh. Colby frowned, "That wasn't the response I was expect but I guess I deserve it."

"No, no, no!" Charlie was grinning, "I'm not laughing at you. Don told me you'd apologise before I could start the engine. As always, he was right!"

Colby gave a crooked smile, "He is my boss. Guess he should know me pretty well."

Charlie nodded, "That and the fact that you're a good guy Colby."

It was Colby's turned to laugh, "Let's wait until after these two weeks before you come to that conclusion."

* * *

Colby fell asleep on the living room couch not long after he had some food and took a couple of Tylenols.

The following two weeks were trying at best for Colby. He found out there was another reason why Don liked to offer up Charlie's house as the place to recover. There was no way anybody, no matter how sick or in a bad mood, would dare to give Alan Eppes any attitude. It wasn't that he was scary or that he demanded respect. He was a man who deserved respect.

However, it didn't mean that the two weeks went smoothly. Colby found himself ready to explode a few times when Alan insisted on helping him around the house. He kept his temper because Alan was only trying to help but relying on someone everywhere he went wasn't who he was. One night, after Alan went to sleep, Colby got up to wonder around the house on his own. The lights were all turned off but that didn't matter to Colby. He wanted to get a feel of the house. It started off slowly, moving towards the front door before feeling his way to the dining table and towards the kitchen. He was doing fine until he reached the games room. As his hand reached around for something to touch but his elbow knocked something over and smashed to the ground. He turned around, only to step on some broken glass, making him step back. He winced as he lifted his left foot off the ground, keeping the pressure off it. "Damn it!" He cursed to himself.

Alan, who was woken up by the crash, grabbed his bat from behind his door and quietly crept down the steps. He heard a voice in the games room. Someone was in there. He reached for the light switch, turned it on and swung the bat. His eyes widened in horror when he saw who the 'intruder' was and stopped the bat about an inch from Colby's face. Colby had no idea what was happening. Alan took a breath to calm himself and slowly lowered the bat. "What happened?" He asked casually after he felt he could talk.

Colby jumped at the voice. "Mr Eppes, I'm sorry. Please tell me I didn't break anything valuable."

Alan looked at the broken glass next to the side table. It was just an empty wine bottle someone had forgotten to throw out. "It's nothing." He frowned at Colby's bleeding foot. "But that's not."

"Ah crap, what did I do?" Colby said, distressed at the trouble he was causing.

Alan pulled up a stool and helped Colby onto it. "You can't feel that?" He asked as he lifted Colby's leg to take a look at the damage. Pieces of glass were protruding from his foot.

"Oh that. Yeah, it's fine."

"Like hell it is." Alan admonished. "Stay there." He went to get the first aid kit from the kitchen. "What were you doing?"

Colby shrugged, feeling embarrassed now. "I was trying to get a feel of your house. I didn't want to keep bothering you when I needed to get around."

"If you wanted to do that, Agent Granger, you should've told me and I would've helped you." Alan returned with the kit and pulled over another stool. He laid a towel on it before he lifted Colby's foot to rest on it. "Hold still while I pull out the shards." They heard the front door open. "Charlie, is that you?"

"Charlie's not home yet?" It was Don.

Colby groaned, knowing he was going to get a lecture from his boss. "Don, what are you doing over so late?" Alan asked as tried to get hold of a shard with the tweezers.

"Just thought I'd check on C…" Don stopped when he entered the games room. "What the hell happened here?" He looked around and went to grab the dustpan and broom.

"Sorry, Don. I was walking around on my own and knocked something over. Please tell me it's nothing valuable." Alan still hadn't told him what it was he knocked over. He could hear sweeping, but still no answer. "Please, at least, tell me it's replaceable." He would never forgive himself if it were something of Don's mother's.

Don was going to have a little fun with Colby but saw how guilty he looked so he decided against it. "It's nothing. Just an empty wine bottle."

Colby frowned, "Really?" He wasn't sure if Don was just trying to alleviate his guilt.

"Really." Don swept up the rest of the glass and moved it aside. "That looks nasty." He said of the cut on Colby's foot. "Let me do it." Don said to his dad. "Go back to sleep."

Alan looked up at his son and could see he wanted to have a word with his agent. He nodded, handing the tweezers to his son. "Go easy on him. He's not having the best night."

Colby groaned, feeling worse by the minute. "I'm really sorry, Mr Eppes."

"It's fine, Colby." Alan gave him a pat on the shoulder and grabbed his baseball bat on the way out. Don frowned as he dad held his index finger and thumb an inch a part and then gestured between Colby's head and his bat. Don bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. _Not funny,_ his dad mouthed before leaving.

"I'm really sorry, Don." Colby hissed when Don pulled out a shard.

"Yeah, well, you should be. Probably scared ten years off my dad's life." Don wasn't angry. He just wasn't letting Colby off the hook easily.

Colby sighed, about to apologise again but figured it wasn't going to help. "I just wanted to get a feel of the place. It's frustrating when I can't even get to the bathroom without your dad's help."

"You could've just asked, if that's what you wanted to do. Dad would've been happy to help."

Colby gave a sad smile. "Not very good at asking for help either. I'm usually the one to give assistance." He would've pulled his leg back, when another shard came out, if Don didn't have a firm hold of his leg.

"Sorry, that was a big one." Don dropped the shard on the towel. "But it was the last one." He soaked a clean towel with antiseptic and held it to the cut. Again Colby hissed and tried to pull away.

"You're enjoying this." Colby grunted out between his teeth, trying his hardest not the kick his boss.

"Maybe." Don admitted as he held on for another ten seconds before letting go. "It'll teach you to ask for help." He tapped a gauze pad to the cut and lowered his leg. "Come on, let's get you back to bed."

"Can you maybe show me around the house first?" Colby asked, quietly.

Don looked at him, smiling. Colby learns his lessons quick. "Sure." He packed up the first aid kit and threw away the glass.

* * *

The two weeks went faster once Colby was able to move around on his own. He was beginning to think it went too fast when he found himself sitting nervously on the examination bed in Dr Abermann's office.

David watched, just as nervous from the doctor's table. He could tell his partner was scared of what he would see or wouldn't see when the bandage was removed.

Colby's grip on the edge of the bed tightened as the bandage unravelled. He gasped at the cool air against his eyelids when the last layer dropped away. "Colby, I want you to slowly open your eyes."

David moved closer. He wanted to be next to his friend, whether it was for good or bad news.

Colby managed to open his eyes for one second before he shut them again. "It's too bright."

David moved to dim the lights and close the blinds. "Sorry, Colby, I should've thought about that." Dr Abermann apologised and nodded his thanks to David. "Let's try again." David moved back to Colby's side, this time putting a hand on his shoulder to let him know he was there.

Colby forced his eyes open again. His eyelids fluttered a little before they opened fully. It was still bright, but much better. He turned to face his partner. David's face was blurry at first but slowly it cleared. "Pretty ugly mug to open my eyes to but I'll take it." Colby said with a straight face.

David frowned and then grinned when he realised what Colby meant. "You can see!" Colby nodded and held out his hand. David gripped it and pulled him into a one armed embrace. "Thank goodness. I really didn't want to break-in another newbie."

"If you could step aside while I examine Colby." The doctor smiled at the relief in both agents' faces.

Colby happily endured the doctor's tests. Nothing could bring down his mood, not even a doctor. "You've healed nicely, Colby." Dr Abermann closed his file and smiled at the agents in front of him. "You won't be needing another visit here but be careful in the next few days. Wear sunglasses, even indoors until your eyes adjust to the light." David pulled out Colby's pair of shades. He had a feeling he'd need it.

Colby smirked as he took it. "How'd you know?"

David shrugged, "I was optimistic."

* * *

 **At the office…**

Don, Liz and Nikki were working on their reports for the case they closed the night before. That's what it looked like they were doing. In truth, their pages were blank because their minds were on Colby. David was supposed to call them as soon as they go the results but so far the only calls they've gotten were idiots giving useless information for some of the cases they were working on. Nikki slammed the phone down after another call. "I thought someone was supposed to vet these calls before putting it through to us."

"Yeah, she quit." Liz told her for the third time.

"I'm telling you now, if the next call isn't from David or Colby, I'm going to turn their tables upside down." Nikki threatened.

Don shook his head at the newbie's temper. She was good at her job but she was stubborn and didn't have a filter between her brain and her mouth. She got along with the team though and that is something she had going for her. Don looked at his watch. Nikki was right about one thing, the next call better be David or Colby. He tapped his pen against his notepad, waiting anxiously.

* * *

Colby and David got off the lift at their office floor. The team were at their tables but none of them were working. Nikki was glaring at the phone that had just rang. Colby frowned at David who just shrugged. They didn't want to be the person on the other end of the phone. They watched as she answered the phone. She looked ready to explode as she listened to the person on the other side.

"You listen up, Mister, if you call this line one more time, I will trace the call, come over to your home and…"

Colby rushed over and snatched the phone from her before she said something that would get her on desk duty again. "I'm sorry, sir. You've been put through to the wrong department, let me rectify that." Colby pushed a couple of buttons on her phone and hung up. He looked around at his team who had all shot out of their chairs. "Um…hi?"

"Tell me you have perfect vision behind those shades." Don ordered, even though he already knew the answer. The Colby before today wouldn't be able to make out where the phone was let alone push the right buttons.

David grinned at the looks on their faces. "Where'd you forward that call anyway?" He asked his partner.

"Internal Affairs." Colby laughed.

Liz grinned at Don who was just as happy. She walked up to Colby and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh I missed you."

"Me too." Colby let her go and pulled Nikki into his arms. "You really need to control that mouth of yours." Nikki pulled back and punched him in the arm. "Easy." He rubbed his arm, "I'm still an injured man."

Don rolled his eyes, "Come here." They gripped hands and pulled in for a quick one-armed embrace. "Good to have you back."

Colby winced, "You don't quite have me back yet." He pointed to the sunglasses, "These have to stay on for another three days and then I need to re-do the shooting qualification test."

"Really?" Don scoffed, "You can probably pass that test today."

David laughed, "Would you believe me if I told you he tried to convince Perry to let him try?"

"Yeah, I would." Don nodded, chuckling, "Why don't you go home and rest? We'll all go out for dinner tonight. I'm buying."

Colby had a look that was between pleased and not so much. "I've been resting for two weeks."

Don had a feeling of déjà vu. "Fine, stay but if you keel over with another headache I'm firing your ass." He sat back down mumbling to himself. "Idiot is going to shorten my lifespan."

Colby looked around at his teammates, looking a little worried. "Are you still paying for dinner?" Don grabbed a pen and threw it at him. Colby dodge the projectile. The team had to stifle their laughs in some way or another. "That's the most unprofessional thing I've ever seen you do." Colby said deadpanned.

"Just testing your vision, Granger." Don gave a thin smile.

Colby shook his head. "Unbelievable. I get caught in an explosion and now I'm being abused by my teammates."

David sat Colby down in his chair. "Shut up before you end paying for dinner."

Colby looked up at his partner grinning. "It's good to be back." He said, turning his grin to his boss. Don couldn't help but return it.

 **The End.**


End file.
